EV vs Gas/Petrol Cost Calculator
Compare the cost of running an EV with a gas/petrol car using your own mileage, fuel prices, charging mix, and maintenance estimates.
How to use this calculator
Start by entering the distance you drive each year and choosing the unit you want to work in. Then add the fuel economy and fuel price for the petrol or gas vehicle you want to compare against. Next, enter EV efficiency, decide whether to use an estimated local electricity rate or your own tariff, and set the balance between home charging and public charging.
The calculator then estimates annual fuel cost, annual EV charging cost, maintenance difference, monthly savings, savings over your ownership period, and an estimated break-even time if you enter an upfront EV price premium. The most useful way to use it is to test more than one scenario rather than relying on a single set of assumptions.
Who this calculator is for
Drivers comparing an EV with a petrol car
If you are trying to decide whether switching to an EV would reduce your running costs, this calculator gives you a structured way to test the numbers rather than relying on broad claims.
Households with mixed charging options
This tool is especially useful if you expect to charge partly at home and partly in public, because public charging can change the result more than many people expect.
Buyers thinking in break-even terms
If you want to know whether a higher upfront EV price could be recovered through lower running costs over time, this calculator gives you a practical first estimate.
What can distort the result
The result depends heavily on the realism of the assumptions you enter. If your home electricity rate is too low, your public charging share is too small, or your annual mileage does not reflect reality, the savings estimate can become misleading. The same applies if maintenance assumptions are overly optimistic or if local public charging prices are much higher than the rate you enter.
It is also important to remember that this calculator focuses on running costs and a simple break-even estimate. It does not attempt to capture the full ownership picture in the way that purchase price, grants, resale value, financing, insurance, and ownership period affect total cost of ownership. For that, use the EV Total Cost of Ownership Calculator as well.
Example scenario
Imagine a driver covering 12,000 miles per year, comparing a petrol car that returns 35 MPG with an EV delivering 3.5 miles per kWh. If petrol costs 3.50 per gallon, home electricity costs 0.18 per kWh, public charging costs 0.50 per kWh, and the EV is charged 80% at home and 20% in public, the running-cost difference can be meaningful. But if that same driver relies far more heavily on public charging, the savings can shrink quickly.
That is why the best way to use this tool is not to look for one fixed answer, but to test a realistic range: your likely case, a cheaper-energy case, and a heavier-public-charging case. If the EV still looks better across those scenarios, the result is much more robust.
About these estimates
This calculator is designed to compare scenarios using your own assumptions. Real costs vary by vehicle, tariff, local charging availability, weather, maintenance patterns, and driving style.
Want the bigger ownership picture?
Running costs are only part of the decision. Use the EV Total Cost of Ownership Calculator to compare purchase price, incentives, maintenance, resale value, and longer-term ownership costs.
Try EV Total Cost of Ownership Calculator